Are your activities scheduled around - and limited by - your feeding schedule? Are you feeding multiple times throughout the day and night? If so, consider yourself a prisoner of feeding (POF)! Is there a way to free yourself? Absolutely! You will be happier and your herd will love you for it. More relaxed herd = more relaxed guardians and vice versa. For most of us, we become a POF because we don't want our beloved equines to be overweight or without forage for an extended period of time. And so the multiple feedings begin! I too was a POF: getting up early to feed in the morning, making sure I was home to feed lunch, and feeding late in the evening hours (horses only sleep 3-4 hours throughout a 24 hour period). What inspired me to write this article? Answering questions and hearing comments from our awesome customers! Most of us cannot comprehend our horse or herd maintaining a healthy weight without limiting access to forage for periods of time. But there is another way. What I share below I learned through four decades of trial and error. You get to skip straight to the good stuff. And if you want to learn more, feel free to check out How to Introduce & Incorporate Free-Choice Forage: An Action Plan - my calculated personal approach to slow-fed, free choice forage. My Personal POF Journey & Learning Curve
Eating More & Not Gaining Weight? Why? Certainly a variety of reasons including, but not limited to:
Pictured is the Standard Hay Pillow slow feeder; my first Hay Pillow invention. The Missing Link - Not Considering the Whole Horse (Mentally & Physically) What made the difference? What had I been missing all those decades ago? Scientifically speaking, my horses were fed an appropriate diet and calories for optimum health while maintaining a healthy weight. But they were stressed - and I was stressed. In hindsight, I was ignoring the physical and mental aspects of an herbivore and the direct results from the lack of forage. Mental and physical experiences are synonymous in that each has an influence on the other.
Is Lack of Forage Stressful? Absolutely, at least it was for my horses. How do I know?
Imagine...Breaking Free, Guilt Free You, too, can free yourself - and your horses. Imagine:
Take Home MessageIf your horse is not a healthy weight - consider, in addition to diet and routine exercise:
Scientifically, my horses were "fine" without free choice forage. Yet after researching the equine anatomy and witnessing their reaction when I arrived to the barn to feed, I knew I could do better. Yes, I spent time improving their diet, but the peace of mind I have is priceless. The results of my journey are also scientific in that my horses daily intake exceeded what was considered the optimum/appropriate amount of forage and yet they maintained a healthy body weight. In addition, the only vet bills I've had are yearly dental visits and an occasional chiropractic adjustment. I am not insinuating in any way that free choice forage will prevent or cure any and all sicknesses or diseases. Certainly, minimizing stress factors and addressing diet enables the immune system to function more effectively. I do know my horses are happier and healthier regardless and I'm no longer a POF. It only took me 42 years to get there! More Helpful Slow Feed Resources
Stay ConnectedWant to Hear About $ales, Nutrition Tips & Giveaways?Be the first to know by subscribing to our monthly newsletter. About the Author: Monique Warren invented the Hay Pillow® slow feeder and is the owner of Hay Pillow Inc. Warren has been an equine guardian for over forty years and slow-feed advocate for over 10 years. She contributes equine nutrition and digestive and hoof health articles to publications such as Equine Wellness, The Journal, The Naturally Healthy Horse, Natural Horse Magazine, Nicker News, Horse Back Magazine, The Horse's Hoof, and Miniature Horse World Magazine. Equine nutrition and horses feet are her passions. She resides in Southern California. References
9 Comments
Sue Baudanza
3/11/2018 08:41:47 pm
Great article and yes, I'm a POF! I have been using your hay Pillows for years, for all three of my horses. I feed main meals in pillows and small loose hay snacks in between. My sleep is frequently compromised by my need to feed very late night check hay, and still be up at dawn to feed. I'm curious if they gained weight initially in the two adjustment weeks you mention? One of my three is a Morgan pony, most definitely thrifty. So far no issues but probably at risk just based on genetics. I would Love to try this but fear that he would gain too much before beginning to self regulate. Any thoughts appreciated! Thanks, Sue
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Hay Pillow Inc.
3/12/2018 05:08:38 pm
Hi Sue,
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Peta
3/20/2018 08:53:12 pm
All my horses have shoes on and 50% are stabled overnight. Currently I weigh out their roughage and check if there is left over in the morning and increase accordingly. This however costs a fortune. Would the hay pillows work
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Hay Pillow Inc.
3/22/2018 02:02:31 pm
Hi Peta,
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Ellen Hansen
3/22/2018 11:12:48 am
Hello, I think your article about feeding free choice is quite dangerous for owners of severely metabolic and insulin resistant horses. Many of those horses have abnormal levels of the enzyme Leptin, which in a normal horse signals to stop eating when they are full. A horse with abnormal leptin levels, will eat until they die, virtually. 24/7 forage does not work for those horses, and it is very dangerous to recommend 24/7 for horse owners of IR or metabolic horses. You might be interested in the work of Dr. Kellon, who has collected an extensive database and used that with CURRENT AND PERTINENT scientific knowledge to develop a protocol that is 98% effective for horses with those issues. Free choice feeding is strongly discouraged in this program, and backed Up by countless case studies where horses became overweight and laminitic with that practice ( even with tested hay with low sugar content ) https://ecirhorse.com/
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Hay Pillow Inc.
3/22/2018 05:11:20 pm
Hi Ellen,
Reply
J
5/17/2021 07:56:13 pm
This is in response to Ellen's post.
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MJ
10/30/2020 01:43:57 pm
This is a great post and full of interesting information. I appreciate your thoughts, research and sharing your own story. However, I am curious as to your thoughts on those of us who are constrained by keeping our horses at a boarding facility, many of which have traditional feeding type programs and are unwilling to change their practices? In my experience in my area there are very few facilities that have different practices. Believe me, I have searched high and low. Even self board facilities this can be a challenge because they are not set up to accommodate free choice as the horses live in in/outs that don't facilitate a lot of movement necessary to balance the free choice hay amounts they will consume. Especially for IR type horses. Even if the owners can exercise their horses every day for an hour, that is still not a very good ratio of food to exercise. So I am just curious if you have any suggestions on how to better our horses lives for those of us that don't have the opportunity to customize feeding programs much. Thanks!
Reply
Hay Pillow Inc.
12/1/2020 03:42:38 pm
Hi MJ,
Reply
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